Over the Mountain triathlon draws crowd, NASCAR champ (Slideshow)

The cool weather made the day for many of the athletes and volunteers at the Over the Mountain Triathlon in Kings Mountain.

The Over the Mountain triathlon celebrated 15 years on Saturday when athletes from across the nation gathered to test themselves on the course.

The course consists of a 1-mile swim across Moss Lake, a 30-mile bike ride through two states, and finishes with a 10K race through the historic district in Kings Mountain.

The overall winner, Matt Patton, of Matthews, was excited by the course and believed it played to his strong suits.

This was Patton’s first time participating in the Over the Mountain Triathlon.

“This is my first win, it feels really good,” Patton said after he crossed the finish line.

Patton made his way to the finish line amongst cheers from spectators and volunteers.

Volunteers and supporters

One of the avid supporters was Tara Sikes, a 10th-grader from Kings Mountain High School and volunteer at the event, who stood at the finish line cheering and clapping for each racer.

She wasn’t the only one. Many volunteers at water stations and checkpoints offered words of encouragement and cheers for each racer who went by.

“This is really a lot of fun,” said volunteers Debbie Walker and Roxanne Mauney.

Mauney has helped with the triathlon for the past five years, and Walker for the past two. They said they both find the wide age range of participants interesting.

The minimum age to participate in the triathlon is 14, represented this year by Kings Mountain resident Kassidy Hamrick.

Hamrick was part of the winning relay team, “Team Blue,” which had her swimming, Matt Lilly, of Shelby, on the bike, and George Patterson, of Kings Mountain, in the running portion.

“I enjoyed it,” Hamrick said. “I’m looking forward to next year.”

NASCAR champ among participants

One hundred and seventy five people participated in the triathlon Saturday.

“I wish there were more people,” said Carrie Behme, of Huntersville.

Behme came in second overall for females. She said she also does half and full Iron Man triathlons. In the Masters Female division, she had no fellow competitors in that division Saturday.

“I had no one to chase, except some NASCAR driver,” Behme said jokingly. “I was chasing him. I couldn’t get him. He took off on me.”

This year’s largest draw was NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson’s participation.

While Johnson drew some to the finish line, there was plenty of cheering for the other participants.

“Fifteen years ago, many of our residents were uncertain what a triathlon was about,” Ellis Noell, city event director for Kings Mountain, recently told The Star. “Now, we have teams originating here in our hometown and other communities throughout Cleveland County.”